Lexical Summary sid: lime Original Word: שִׂיד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance lime, plaster From siyd; lime (as boiling when slacked) -- lime, plaister. see HEBREW siyd NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition lime, whitewash NASB Translation lime (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs שִׂיד noun [masculine] lime, whitewash; — always ׳שׂ; — lime, produced by burning bones Amos 2:1, in simile Isaiah 33:12; as whitewash Deuteronomy 27:2,4. Topical Lexicon Substance and Everyday UseShid denotes the quicklime or plaster produced by burning limestone or, as in Amos 2:1, by incinerating human bones. In the biblical era lime was valued for whitewashing walls, sealing cisterns, producing mortar, and coating tombs for ritual cleanliness (compare Matthew 23:27). Its brilliant whiteness created a striking visual contrast, while its caustic heat when slaked illustrated consuming power. Occurrences in Scripture Isaiah 33:12 pictures hostile nations “burned to ashes,” a rendering that rests on shid’s association with lime-kiln fires. Amos 2:1 condemns Moab “because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to ashes.” Both texts invoke lime’s blazing heat and total reduction of matter to powder, turning a common building material into a metaphor of absolute judgment. Historical Background In the ancient Near East lime-burning required kilns stoked to intense temperatures. The process destroyed organic material yet yielded a substance essential for construction and purification. Moab’s use of the practice against a rival king’s corpse was therefore an act of deliberate desecration: reducing royal remains to building material. The prophets’ audiences would have felt the shock of this imagery—bones treated like fuel, nations treated like kiln-fired rubble. Theological Themes Judgment that Leaves Nothing Unchanged Desecration versus Sanctification Outward Whiteness and Inner Reality Pastoral and Ministry Implications 1. Preach the Full Weight of Divine Justice The lime-kiln pictures remind congregations that God’s judgment is thorough. Sin is not merely wounded; it is reduced to dust unless atoned for in Christ (Hebrews 10:26-27). 2. Guard Against Cosmetic Religion Lime covered tombs but could not cleanse corruption within. Ministry must aim for regenerated hearts, not merely respectable appearances (Titus 3:5). 3. Honor the Body, Affirm the Resurrection Amos 2:1 lends biblical support for treating the dead with dignity. Christian burial practices testify to bodily resurrection, contrasting sharply with Moab’s contempt. 4. Redeem the Common and the Caustic Lime’s dual capacity to destroy and to build encourages believers to submit every tool—including hard providences—to the Master Builder, who alone can transform ashes into foundations of righteousness (Isaiah 61:3). Connections to the Gospel The same prophetic fire that pulverizes sin also prefigures the purifying flame of Pentecost (Acts 2:3) and the refining trials that shape believers (1 Peter 1:6-7). Shid ultimately points beyond temporal judgment to the cross, where the wrath symbolized by the kiln fell upon the spotless Lamb, securing both cleansing and construction for the living temple of God (Ephesians 2:20-22). Forms and Transliterations לַשִּֽׂיד׃ לשיד׃ שִׂ֑יד שיד laś·śîḏ lasSid laśśîḏ Sid śîḏLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 33:12 HEB: עַמִּ֖ים מִשְׂרְפ֣וֹת שִׂ֑יד קוֹצִ֥ים כְּסוּחִ֖ים NAS: will be burned to lime, Like cut KJV: shall be [as] the burnings of lime: [as] thorns INT: the peoples will be burned to lime thorns cut Amos 2:1 2 Occurrences |
    |